Bound by Myths

Swaziland, a small, landlocked country in southern Africa, currently has the highest HIV prevalence in the world (around 26 percent). Unless attitudes toward the disease change drastically, Swaziland’s future looks grim.

The results of the AIDS epidemic have been devastating; Swaziland’s average life expectancy is just 49 years. The deaths of many adults have left children orphaned and vulnerable.

False beliefs about HIV abound, but many Swazis are receiving eye-opening knowledge about the disease through the efforts of four missionaries serving with the IMB’s Hands On program.

“We’ve seen the amazing response of youth trusting us enough to ask real questions, because we’ll give them real answers,” says missionary Sarah Butler (name changed).

“What [we're] telling people could literally save lives,” claims one Hands On missionary. Another agrees, “If nothing is done about the AIDS epidemic, this country will die.”

Using the message of True Love Waits, the Hands On missionaries dispel myths about HIV and use interactive skits to show how sexual promiscuity tears lives apart.

In one skit, the missionaries highlight the difference between love and lust using 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. They also share testimonies and their personal pledges to wait for marriage.

“Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity …”

“… including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a Biblical marriage relationship.” The missionaries hope these words, written on commitment cards, will change lives in Swaziland.

Despite the progress made, changing a cultural mindset is slow work. Pray God will use missionaries and national partners to continue sharing His truth in Swaziland.